Area code 202
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Telephone area code 202 is the area code for Washington, D.C., and is coextensive with the District of Columbia. It was one of the area codes originally assigned in 1947.
As of 2005, there are no plans to split or overlay the area code, probably since the total population of the District is less than 600,000, and the number of possible legitimate telephone numbers in an area code is more than ten times this number[citation needed]. For a local call between two telephones in the District, 7-digit dialing is permitted, although the call will be connected if the area code is dialed. There is, of course, no provision for long-distance calls within the area code.
Originally, area code 202 was an unpublished alternate area code for the nearby suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, which were officially in area codes 301 and 703, respectively. That arrangement allowed local calls throughout the metropolitan area to be dialed using only seven digits. For example, a telephone number in Kensington, Maryland, that was officially 301-949-xxxx could be dialed as 202-949-xxxx as well. However, on October 1, 1991, to address number exhaustion, the ability to dial the suburbs using area code 202 ended, and local calls between area codes required 10-digit dialing (area code + number, leading "1" is not required but is usually not forbidden).
| District of Columbia Area Code: 202 | ||
|---|---|---|
| North: 301/240 | ||
| West: 571/703 | area code 202 | East: 301/240 |
| South: 703/571 | ||
| State of Maryland Area Codes: 240, 301, 410, 443 | ||
| Commonwealth of Virginia Area Codes: 276, 434, 540, 571, 703, 757, 804 | ||
